Potential coaching hire many Bengals fans dreamed about is now completely out of the question
Joe Brady is not coming to coach Joe Burrow or Ja’Marr Chase any time soon.
The dream of Joe Brady coaching Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase on the Cincinnati Bengals is dead in the water.
Cincinnati is hoping to escape a wild hiring cycle without experiencing any changes to its coaching staff, and the Buffalo Bills ended their search for a new head coach about a week after it began by hiring Brady as Sean McDermott’s replacement.
Brady, who joined McDermott’s staff back in 2022 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2023, signed a five-year deal to stay on as Buffalo’s next HC. Whether or not he sees the life of that deal, the idea of him coaching Burrow and Chase in the near future no longer has any weight to it.
Joe Brady was a widely popular candidate to become the Bengals’ next head coach
In 2019, the year Zac Taylor became Cincinnati’s HC, Brady was hired by LSU as the program’s pass game coordinator. Brady’s influence was felt immediately as Burrow led the nation in passing and won the Heisman Trophy with Chase, the Fred Biletnikoff Award winner, as his leading receiver. They dominated their way to an undefeated season and won the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Brady became the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers days after the trophy was raised in January of 2020. Burrow was then picked No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Bengals. Chase joined him in 2021 as the No. 5 pick.
As soon as doubts about Taylor’s head-coaching abilities spawn, so did the scenario of Brady potentially replacing him to coach the now superstar players he once knew as collegiate athletes. Cincinnati and the Bills have ensured that will not happen in the near future, or ever at all.
Brady to Cincinnati is no longer in the cards
Brady’s experience and success with Burrow and Chase made him an ideal potential replacement for Taylor, but timing was always an obstacle. He was still growing as a coach and gaining NFL play-calling experience while Cincinnati has been openly committed to keeping Taylor. The Bengals extended Taylor’s contract through the 2027 season back in 2023, and they are virtually never in the business of firing coaches with multiple years left on their deals.
Cincinnati decided to move forward with Taylor earlier in the month, and Brady soon found himself available to go anywhere he pleased. His best option became staying in Western New York and inking five years of guaranteed salary, and continue coaching quarterback Josh Allen.
The Bengals could move on from Taylor if the 2026 season falls short of expectations, but Brady is unlikely going to be available to replace him. Buffalo would need to completely fall on its face with Allen healthy this upcoming season if Brady is to be canned after just one year. The decision to fire McDermott in the first place would also look even more reckless.
It’s simply not meant to be, barring completely unforeseen circumstances. Bengals fans will need a new future candidate to place on a pedestal.
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